


Third Time’s The Charm

by Ljungelden



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Uncharted 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-05-04 21:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14601957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ljungelden/pseuds/Ljungelden
Summary: The first time you met Samuel Drake was at a museum, the second time you met him was at your work and the third time… Was special, even life changing.





	1. From small beginnings come great things

Every room was filled with wonders from different ages from all around the world. Footsteps and words echoed between thick walls as sunlight found its’ way in through the high and painted windows. People wandered around, walking from one exhibition to another. Though, you had only one room in mind. A room filled with paintings, maps, treasures and various items. All of it had once belonged to the mighty Sir Francis Drake, a man who had worked for Queen Elizabeth I, but later he had faked his death, so that he could find the legendary El Dorado. It was fascinating, knowing how old some of these items were and they still had survived the sea, several storms and wars. Incredible. You couldn’t help but smile slightly for yourself as you walked to the next object which was a special and somewhat… abstract drawing.

You noticed how many of the visitors simply gave it a hasty look before eyeing jewerly and gold with more interest. However, you found the drawing appealing in some way. There was something about it, something mysterious. Feet moved, reducing the space between you and the painting. Head leaned forwards, E/C orbs trying to find every little single detail. An eyebrow was raised as you continued to observe the item. It was… strange. Why woud an explorer own something like that? Had Sir Francis Drake been into art?

You would probably never get any answers to your questions. Sir Francis Drake was dead after all (and had been for quite a while). Also, even his death was a mystery! The chance of anyone knowing if he had been into art was probably very low. Shoulders were raised before lowered as a silent sigh sounded. ” Looks like something that guy Vasilij Kandinskij would pull out of his ass, if you know what i mean?” The sudden comment caused laughter to escape your L/C lips, but they were quickly pressed to a tight line, killing the joyous sound. You turned around, gaze falling upon a boy, who only seemed to be a few years older than you. He had wild brown hair, mischievous eyes and a slight smirk dressed his lips. ” I guess you could describe it in that way too.” You said, smiling at him.

” So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing in this dusty and old place? Shouldn’t you be like, out, having fun with your friends?” Hands were raised, a gesture as he looked at you with a questioning gleam. You shrugged while glancing at the odd pice of art. ” I actually like museums, so I don’t mind the dust or age. There’s so much history in here. It’s part of us. If these things hadn’t existed our time would be different, everything would be different, you know?” Body turned around, feet moving to the next object in the room. ” So, why is a young man like you here? Shouldn’t you like… do exciting stuff or something?”

The unknown soul laughed. ” I’m actually doing exciting stuff, believe it or not. I like history too. You’re not the only one, sweetheart. Besides, I’m very interest in our pal Sir Francis Drake.” You chuckled. ” You always talk this much?” He nodded. ” Yeah, people tend to get pretty annoyed pretty fast. It’s a wonder that you haven’t tried to kill me yet.” A pause of silence. ” I’m Sam by the way.” H/C hair swirled in the air as you turned around, not wanting to stand with your back towards him as he presented himself. ” I’m Y/N, Y/F/N. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sam.” You reached out your hand, shaking his. ”No, no, the pleasure is all mine, Y/N.” Silence fell, but it was not an akward silence, or well, perhaps it was a little bit awkward, but it was something you could handle. ” So… Sam, why the interest in Sir Francis Drake? Why not someone else like Anne Bonney?” Your E/C eyes follwed every movement he made as he walked around, peering at the different objects. ” Eh, it’s a family thing you know. I’m trying to help my mother with some stuff. Her research kinda involves our dead pal Francis.” Your head moved forwards and backwards, nodding. ” Ah, I see.” Suddenly, Sam stopped right in front of the mysterious painting. ” I wish I could copy this crappy piece of art, but I got no talent.”

” Don’t be so harsh on yourself.” You said. ” No it’s true! I can’t draw at all, but my brother on the other hand. He is really good, talented even! Shame he ain’t here.” There was an endearing tone in his warm voice. You could really hear how much he loved his brother. ” I guess you’re close to your brother? Is he younger or older?” Sam’s eyes lit up as he talked more about his sibling. ” Yeah, you could say that. Haven’t met him in a while since I’m working quite much. He’s younger, but sometimes he sure acts that he’s older than me. Pretty smart for his age so.”

Sam’s fingers wandered away from his waist to his neck, scratching. ” Anway, maybe I’ll try to draw something similiar, but not when you’re here. Don’t wanna get embarrassed because of my lack of skill.” You couldn’t help but smile widely. ” I wouldn’t laugh at you. That’s just rude.”

” True, true.” The comment from Sam echoed in the empty room and it was then you noticed that the two of you were all alone in the museum. God, how much was the time? ” I think I need to head home, but it was nice meeting you. I hope I will meet you soon again.” The older one walked closer to you, but stopped a few steps away. ” I also hope that. Hey, you want me to walk you home?” Eyes widened and you could feel your cheeks burn. ” No, no. It’s fine. Really, but thanks. It was a nice thought, though.” You looked away for a moment while smiling shyly. Sure, Sam was nice and funny, but it made you somewhat umcomfortable, having a boy you just met knowing where you lived. What if he actually was some kind of criminal?

“ I’ll see you, Y/N!” Sam said as he waved goodbye. “ Yeah, see you! Try not to steal anything!” _Like the painting_ you thought as you raised your hand, waving back before turning around walking home. You could feel how Sam looked at you, smiling, until you couldn’t bee seen anymore. He turned around, entering the museum one last time.

You couldn’t help but think if you would ever meet him again. You haven’t seen him before in the town… Well, time would tell, that you knew. Carefully, you closed the door behind you before greeting your parents, telling them everything that had happened at the museum.

The next morning you woke up, wondering if you would meet that new boy again. Maybe he would be at the museum today as well? Curious you got out of your bed, walking to the kitchen downstais. Your blurry gaze fell upon the big headline on the newspapers. ANCIENT PAINTING STOLEN. What? It was the one from the museum, the one you had studied yesterday! You sat down slowly, staring at the words as your lips were pressed against ceramics, steam caressing your face. Could it… could it be? He had seemed to be very interested in the painting which had once belong to Sir Francis Drake. Impossible… He was just a normal kid… right?

You carefully put down the mug on the table before supporting your heavy head with your hands. The meeting with Sam and the sudden article had caused a storm of thoughts and emotions inside of you. An immense headache was born and it followed you for several days, but then it started slowly to fade. However, it never truly vanished. The thoughts, the feelings, were still there, but far inside, hidden, however they would appear again even stronger, sooner or later.


	2. History repeats itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Year after year passed by. You graduated collage, worked at various place and now you even have a fulltime job at a library. One day an unexpected visitor arrives. Could it really be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update! I worked as a mad man on my hopefully last essay ever and I will graduate university next week if not something goes wrong. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also! Thank you very much for the kudos and response ❤︎
> 
> Love,  
> Ljungelden.

Grey clouds covered the evening sky as sultry air found its’ way in to the library through various open doors and windows. It made you feel sick and gave you a tremendous headache. Great to feel like shit deluxe when it was you who hade the closening shift. Well, at least it was peaceful and quiet. Almost no visitors at the library. Most were probably home or at vacation. You didn’t really know nor did you really care. A sigh escaped as you looked at the clock on the wall. It felt like an enternity for it to move, passing minute by minute.

Door suddenly swung up and a man in a denim jacket and wild brown hair walked in. A smaller smirk rested on his lips. You didn’t know why but he somewhat reminded you of the boy, Sam, that you had met years ago at the museum. Could it be? No, it couldn’t be, could it? The chance of you meeting him again was small, incredible small, but then agian the world was a strange place after all. Both eyebrows were raised as E/C eyes looked at the familiar stranger, staring. ” Excuse me, ma’am, but isn’t it rude to stare?” His words caught your attention, mind coming down to earth. You blushed a bit, embarassed by getting caught staring like a fool. ” I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention. ” Gaze wandered away while you cleared your throat, trying to gather thoughts and feelings. ” So, how may I help you?” You asked, smiling friedly at him like you always did when you began conversations with visitors at the library.

” I’m actually looking for some maps and special books. I heard that you hade some of those, like maps over Africa, Indian Ocean and stuff like that.” Head moved up and down, nodding. ” You have come to the right place. This is a library after all. A place filled with books and other information. Follow me and I’ll show you where you can find maps over Africa, Indian Ocean and nearby countries.”

Silence hung heavily in the air as the two of you walked side by side, moving towards the shelves with maps. You opened your mouth to speak but it seemed as if the unknown soul was faster. ” Hey, I know this sounds wierd and all, but I feel like I have seen you somewhere before? Have we ever met?” The man asked. ” I-I don’t know.” Shoulders were raised before lowered, shrugging. You hade the same feeling, but you didn’t dare to tell him. What if the man wasn’t Sam after all but some loony stalker?

” Maybe it was all in my imagination.” You laughed slightly at his words. ” Perhaps.” Hand pulled through H/C hair as E/C hues looked at the shelves, searching for the right names. ” Ah, here!” Feet moved forwards as fingers carefully touched the backs of the maps. ” Here we have several maps over Africa and over here we have maps over Indian Ocean and here are several countries and other locations which might help you with the searching.”

The man smiled wide as a grateful gleam appeared in his brown eyes. ” Thank you so much. I would only lose my way trying to find these.” Chuckle escaped your lips. ” It’s no problem. Are you going on vacation?” Your voice was curious, but not too curious. You didn’t wanted to sound like a stalker. ” Actually I’m continuing my mother’s work. I’m trying to find a certain location. She found something which should be located nearby Madagascar. That’s why I need to take a look on various maps from different years.” You nodded vaguely. ” It sounds difficult to find. I assume you have worked on your mothers project for quite some time?”

” Yeah, I started with my mother’s work when I was young. I think I was eighteen when it all started.” You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. So, he had started when he was about eighteen years old and the boy at the museum had been about that age. You couldn’t help yourself. The urge was too strong. You need to ask. To know. ” I hope I’m not rude or too curious, but where you at an exhibition which was about Sir Francis Drake several years ago?” The man’s eyes widened as he rose both brows. ” Dear lord, is it you Y/N, is it really you?” Chuckling quietly you nodded. ” It’s me alright.”

” I hope you won’t steal our books and maps, like you did with the painting.” Voice was both joking and serious while E/C orbs caught sigt of the other blushing, embarassing gleam resting in his eyes as he looked away. ” Guess you saw the newspaper, huh?” Arms crossed as your head moved up and down, nodding. ” So… Why did you steal it, Sam?”

” You know I said I couldn’t draw…. So, I simply took it. I was going to return it but then there was all these cops around so it didn’t happened.” He raised his shoulders before lowering them, shrugging. ” I can’t believe it.” You shook your head in disbelief. ” At least you don’t need to steal the books. It’s free to borrow them since this is a library.” Sam laughed. ” Is that sarcasm I hear in your voice, dear? How can you believe, that me, Sam, would steal anything?” A chuckle escaped his lips. ” So, what have you been up to since our last meeting?” Hands reached out, picking out some of the maps over the Indian Ocean, handing it over to the other. Your fingers slightly touched his and you couldn’t help but smile. A tingling sensation filled your body. ” The usual. I graduated from high school and then I went go college and finished a degree in library and information science. ” What about you, what have you been up to? Stealing more pieces of arts?”

” You really can’t get over that, can you?” Sam shook his head. ” Well, I have been here and there, doing research, meeting my brother and other stuff.” It seemed as if he had a far more interesting life. You had only studied hard and then applied to several jobs. Hell, it wasn’t even that long ago since you found an apartment. ” Are you still researching about Sir Francis Drake?”

” Nah, I gave the map and the rest to my younger brother. He seemed to be more interested than me. Besides, I needed to avoid the authorities. I was a wanted criminal back in the days.”

” So, I'm guessing that you’re searching for something else this time?” His head moved up and down as he eyed the shelves. ” Yeah, ever heard of Libertalia?” Liberalia? The name didn’t ring a bell. ” No? Well, let me tell you. Libertalia is though to be a mythical pirate colony located on an island in the Indian Ocean, ner Madagascar. Various famous pirates lived there. A utopia for them.”

” A paradise for pirates?” You couldn’t help but sound skeptical. A typical librarian trait which you had developed through the years. ” You need to tell me if you find it.” Lips formed a slight smile. " I will.” Answered the man in the denim jacket. His voice sounded confident. Did he actually believe that Libertalia existed? ” I already have partners that will help me. My brothers is one of them and the other is a man called Rafe.” What? Was he serious? ” Oh? I see. Good for you.”

Suddenly, silence. The two of you looked at each other, smiling, but not speaking a word. Sam looked away, watching the maps before taking several of them. It was the same feeling as the one many years ago, when you first met. The silence was comfortable. E/C hues observed every moment he made. He was, actually, a rather handsome man in your perspective. Intelligent and funny as well.

” Alright. I think I have everything. Ehh, do I need a library card to borrow these?” You quirked. Was he joking? You couldn’t tell. ” Yes, you do need a library card. I can help you with that, as long as you have an ID with you.” One of Sam’s hands traveled down, taking out a wallet from his pocket. ” Yeah, I got that.” Feet moved towards the desk where he put down the several maps, handing over the ID card to you. ” So, Drake is your surename? Interesting.”

He scratched his neck. ” Let’s just say I was so inspired by our pal, Sir Francis Drake, that I changed my surname to Drake.” Head moved, nodding at his words. ” I see. So, here you have your library card and I have already lend the books to you. They need to be returned within 30 days. You can see the date on the receipt.” His hand accidentally (or not) touched yours as he took the maps and the cards. A wide smile broke out on his lips, showing his teeth slightly. ” Thank you so much, Y/N. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

A shade of red appeared on your cheeks, burning. ” It was no problem, no problem at all, Sam.” Nervousness began to grow inside body. E/C eyes looked away from the other as you scratched your wrist. ” Well, I’ll see you later Y/N.” Your head moved a bit while you tucked some hair behind your ear. ” See you later, Sam and have a nice day.” He smiled one last time at you before leaving the building. You eyed him until you couldn’t see him anymore before returning to your duties, or rather, boredom, not knowing you wouldn’t see him and the books until fifteen years later.


	3. Echoes from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It felt like an enternity this time. Your heart sunk a little bit everyday as you waited for Sam, to either see him once more or at least hear something from him, but there was nothing. It was only silence, radio silence, for fifteen years and then everything changed fastly, almost too fast. One could even call it life changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update! Life has been somewhat hectic and this heat is exhausting!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also! Thank you very much for the kudos and response ❤︎
> 
> Love,  
> Ljungelden

Minutes became days, days became months, months became years. You thought you would meet the mysterious Sam Drake not long after your second meeting, but alas, how wrong you were. Fifteen years had passed and still not a single sign of him. During all the years which had passed you had been all over the world and back again. You had worked in Norway, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, China and Egypt. At some places you have worked for years, others for weeks and a few places had only been longer visits.

And now you were back in the country where you had started your journey, America. It felt strange, being back after all those years in other countries with different languages, cultures, food and much more. You didn’t know if you liked it, beeing back. You missed all the adventures, even though they had been very small adventures, but at the same time it also felt slightly good, being home again.

The summer had just arrived. Flowers bloomed, trees swayed to the cool summer breezes, outdoor dining and people were everywhere and nowhere, even at the library where you worked. Some senior citizens sat down, reading various newspapers while some walked through the library, trying to find something new to borrow. A few children ran back and forth and some adults browsed through old movies. It wasn’t as stressful as it could be and for that you were grateful. No one had asked any question yet, at least not any difficult ones and your shift would soon end. A vague smile appeared on your lips. Soon you could also enjoy the wonderful weather.

A hand suddenly patted your shoulder gently. A high pitch scream almost left your mouth, but somehow, you managed to kill the noise before it escaped, scaring everyone in the building. Body turned around, eyes widened when they caught sight of the person who had touched your shoulder. ”Dear lord…” Mouth hung open and not a single word could be heard. ” Hey, Y/N. It have been quite some time since we last met. Just wanted to return the books and maps, you know.” The man with wild brown hair, dressed in a vintage denim jacket, reached over the said items. ” Sam Drake. I-I can’t…. believe my eyes.” Feeling how the lungs grasped after oxygen, you took a deep breath.

“You’re fifteen years late with these! I don’t even work at that library anymore. You need to pay for these, Samuel Drake.” Hands snatched away the books and maps, trying to hide them from the visitors and colleagues. E/C eyes looked straight into his while you raised a finger. ”You better wait outside. We need to talk.” The moment the warning words sounded, the big and old clock on the wall moved and your shift had come to an end. A blessing in disguise. Eyes glared at the man before body turned, feet walking rapidly towards the staff area to pick up your belongings. Sam peered after you and walked away, waiting outside the building just as you have told him to do, or rather ordered to do. His large and rough fingers gently touched a package of cigarettes before taking one of them. Fire touched the stick, creating vague but foul smell.

It didn’t take many minutes before you stood by his side. The toxic smoke from the cigarettes irritated your lungs, causing you to create a distinctive sound. ”Jesus, do you smoke as well? You’re worse than a freaking chimney.” The older man couldn’t help but smile as the little white stick rested in his mouth before he bowed mockingly. ”Yours truly pain in the ass.” You rolled your eyes at his words and silly gesture. ”Come on, let’s go somewhere we can talk in private.”

The two of you walked along the watercourse for a while in silence before sitting down on a bench. ”So… Where have you been all these years?” The taller one leaned forward, resting his heavy head on his hands while watching some ducks in the water. ”Do you remember I would tell you if I ever found anything? You know the treasure? Well, I did actually find something. Sort of. Me, my brother and Rafe found a few clues but then some shit went down… But now we are on it again, well, at least me and my brother. Hey, have I ever told you my brother’s name?” You shook your head. ”Oh? Well, his name is Nathan. So, like I said, we are on it again and God, we are so close to find Libertalia this time. I can feel it in my bones, you know?” His right index finger and thumb almost touched each other, too visualize how close they were to find the treasure on the legendary island of pirates.

You could barely believe your ears, what you have just heard. Was it really true? You couldn’t help but being slightly skeptical. What if he had made everything up? But there was something, you didn’t know what, perhaps your gut feeling? His words, his story felt true. ”I can’t believe you’re actually close to find a mythologic place. It’s kind of impressive.” A pause of silence as E/C hues watched people passing by. ”And what does all of this got to do with me?” A brow were raised as you looked up at the taller man. ”Well, I have heard rumors about you. People say you got some kind of talent when it comes to old books, texts and stuff. We could need an expert like you. It ain’t always easy to find or decrypt written clues.”

Orbs widened at the offer. Did he and his brother need an expert? A librarian to find a treasure from pirates on a legendary island? ”Gosh… I really don’t know what to say, Sam. I mean… We don’t exactly know each other and it would be a great risk for me, especially if we don’t find the treasure of anything… I think I need to think about it for a while, if that’s alright?” The brunette in the denim jacket nodded while smiling slightly. ”Of course, it’s alright, Y/N, but I’m afraid we don’t have all the time in the world. Actually, I need an answer tomorrow evening. You can either call me or text me. Just let me know, because we need to leave the town and travel to Italy. There’s a very important auction and we need to buy one of the itmes which will be sold there. It’s one of the clues. A step closer to finding Libertalia.”

Head moved ever so slightly, nodding at his words. ”I will let you know in time. I promise.” Lips formed a slight smile before body moved, getting up from the bench. ”I’ll have to go now, to think about your offer.” Hand pulled through H/C as you looked at the other. ”If we don’t see each other again, I hope you will find what you’re searching for. Bye, Sam.” He gazed up at you, lips barely forming a smile. He almost looked… sad. ”See ya, Y/N.”

Thoughts filled your head, night and day. It was even difficult to sleep. All you could think about was the offer and if you should accept it or not. There was so much that could happen, but then again, how much would happen if you stayed at your job at the library? It was usually the same thing everyday, more or less. It was a tough question if you should stay or go. It wasn’t until you were home again after a day of work you decided to gather your courage and call your chief to leave a message. ”Hello, it’s Y/F/N. I recieved news that my grandfather suddenly became very ill when he was on vacation and I need to leave now, since it doesn’t seems he have much left. I hope you understand.” God, it felt so wrong, so wrong. You ended the call, hoping your boss wouldn’t ask any of your family if it was true, but hopefully she wouldn’t. You had never been ill or left your work all the years you had worked there.

E/C eyes looked at the display on the phone. Jesus fucking Christ, it wouldn’t be long before Sam would leave. Panicking, you ran around in your apartment, trying to find your bag, clothes and everything else that you needed to survive (more or less). Fingers fumbled and barely got up the phone. It was almost difficult to call a goddamn cab. Hurrying, you locked your apartment and run outside. With a bang, you closed the taxi’s door. There was a freaking storm of thoughts inside of your head. Did you have everything? Cards? Keys? What were you even doing? Was it a good idea? (Probably not). Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself as you dialed Sam. Damnit, why didn’t he answer? Was it already too late?

Rain began to fell. Great. Just great. You payed the chauffeur quickly and then ran as fast as you could towards the airport while still calling the long (and slightly handsome) idiot. It wasn’t until you were inside you saw Sam and a tad younger man with shorter brown hair who didn’t have a such… vintage look. It was also then the older one decided to answer his goddamn phone. “Hello?” Heavy breath escaped mouth as heart beat louder than drums. “Look behind you, your moron.” Sam turned around, looking confused until his gaze fell upon you. A wide smile suddenly decorated his lips. “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” He eyed you from head to toes, noticing how the heavy rain had not been kind to you. Your clothes were almost soaked. You looked down, blushing ever so slightly. “Oh, shut up, Sam.”

”Ah, you must be Y/F/N. I’m Nathan. Pleasure to meet you.” The younger man reached out his hand and you shook it. ”It’s nice to meet you as well, Nathan. Sam has spoken highly of you.” Nathan quirked as he glanced at his big brother who just shrugged. ”What can I say? Got a big mouth and I need to brag about my favorite little brother from time to time!”

The younger professional treasure hunter peered at the enormous clock on the wall. His eyes widened. ”Guys, we really need to hurry. Our plan is about to lift!” The sudden news surprised both you and Sam and before you even knew it, Sam had grabbed your hand and started to run. ”Come on, Y/N! Time to go to a fancy estate in Italy!”


End file.
